Pump



R. B. CARTER.

PUMP. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2,1918.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

INVENTOR Hal/1h (2277 61 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH B. CARTER, OF HAWORTH, NEW JERSEY, ASSlIGhl'OIt TO RALPH B. CARTER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed February 2, 1918. Serial No. 215,070.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, RALPH B. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Haworth, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pumps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in power-operated pumps and is designed to overcome the diiiiculties encountered in the operation of pumps, as at present construct ed, due to the occasional accumulation of air in the pump to such a degree that it constitutes what is known as an air-block, which will stop the pumping of the fluid to be handled.

I have shown my invention as applied to a double-acting hydraulic pump, which may be operated from any suitable sourceof power, but which is particularly adapted for operation by a motor which may be automatically started and stopped, and one use to which my invention may be put is in connection with domestic or other similar water supply systems, wherein water and air are together pumped into a receiving tank, from which the water, under pressure of air in the water tank,'may be led to any part of the premises desired.

In such water supply plants, it is desirable that the pumping means shall be thrown into operation automatically when the water in the tank recedes to a certain level, and cut out of operation when the water in the tank has reached a certain desired quantity. It is also desirable that such an automatically acting plant shall not require the presence of an attendant to look after its operation, to accomplish all of which objects it is of course necessary that the operation of the pump shall not be interrupted by the occurrence of an air-blockfi as above referred to.

The principal object of my invention therefore is, to provide, in a double-acting pump, means whereby, when an air-block occurs, in the pump chamber, thesame may be immediately overcome, without allowing any interruption in the operation of the apparatus.

My invention will be made clear, by the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which represents, in vertical section, a hydraulic pump towhich my invention is applied and, 1n elevation, partly broken away, a tank for receiving water under pressure of air.

Referring to theconstruction illustrated, A represents, in whole,the pump, comprismg a casing B, formed centrally with an inwardly projecting casting C, which is longitudinally bored to receive apiston cylinder D, wherein reciprocates a piston E, actuated, through the piston rod F, from any suitable source of power. The ends of the casing B are closed by heads G, H, providing, respectively, the pump chambers I, J. Secured to the lower portion of the casing B, is a suction chamber K, formed by the casing L, said suction chamber being provided with a water inlet M, which may be connected to a ,well or other source of water supply.

Secured to the upper portion of the casing B is provided a discharge chamber N, formed by the bonnet O, which chamber, through the passageway P, connects with an air chamber 1?, from which leads a pipe P connecting the air chamber P, with the tank P said pipe being provided with a check valve indicated at P Suction valves Q, Q, are provided in passageways, leading from the suction chamber K to the pump chambers I, J, and discharge valves R, R, are located in passageways, leading from the pump chambers I, J, to the discharge chamber N.

In the head H is an air-inlet indicated at S, having a check valve S, which air inlet may, when desired, be entirely closed by a hand valve indicated at S.

Extending longitudinally into the casting C and thence, angularly thereto, into the interior of the piston cylinder D, is a small port, indicated at T, which constitutes the important feature of my invention, whereby fluid under compression in the pump chamber I may be conveyed from said pump chamber to the interior of the piston cylinder D, at the opposite side of the piston, the port T, being opened for the admission ofsuch fluid immediately when the port is uncovered, at thevery end of the stroke of the piston. It will be seen that the chamber I, will be in communication with the amount of air and water therein are so proportioned, one to the other, that under the compression of the piston, there is no sufficient force to raise the discharge valves and suction valves, to discharge and admit fluid, the air in the pump chamber providing an elastic cushion against which the piston acts to compress the air, and rebound: ing on the expansion of the air so compressed without any resultant fluid-pumping operation, and this condition will continue as long as the state of equilibrium, which permits it, continues to exist. As soon, however, as this-state oi equilibrium is broken, as for example, when additional fluid, either water or air or both, is added to the chamher in which the air-block occurs, the added material, supplementing the material already in the pump chamber, will furnish the required force-transmitting medium, to be acted upon by the piston, wherebythe discharge valve of the pump'may be opened for the discharge of the fluid acted upon, and on the receding movement of the piston, sufficient vacuum will be produced to provide for'the admission of fluid through the suction valves so that the pumping operation may proceed. This is precisely what my invention accomplishes; Assuming. that there is an air-block in the pump chamber J, owing to there being not sufiicient water to be acted upon and open the valve R, and just enough air to result in the piston simply compressing the latter, and then rebounding on the expansion of the air, on the withdrawal of the piston E fluid will be compressed in the pump chamber 1, and, as

the piston E passes by, and opens, the port T, thecompressed fluid in the piston chamher I will be conveyed through said port into the piston cylinder just ahead or, and to be acted upon by and on the return stroke of, the piston, and this additional fluid in the pump chamber J will furnish the additional medium needed, in connection with that already in the pump chamber J, to open the valve, when acted upon by the piston.

The condition of air-block to which I have above referred may arise in any ordinary hydraulic pump,.but a pump which chamber 1 there will be no such likelihood of an air-block occurring as in the pump chamber J, but if itshould occur, when the piston acts against the air formin i such a block a small quantity oi the fluid in said chamber will be discharged through the port T, when the piston uncovers the latter on its compressing stroke, thereby providing suthcient vacuum when supplemented by the vacuum created by the recession of the pis ton to open the suction valve Q and thereby provide the necessary quantity of iiuid to be acted upon, to open the discharge valve-R on the next stroke or" the piston and continue the pumping operation.

hat I claim'is:

1. In a force pump, the combinationof a cylinder, a casing having chambers in conimunication with each end of the cylinder, an

communication with each end of the cylinder and larger than the cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, inlet and discharge valves for said chambers, an air inlet to one of said chambers, and means adapted toopen free communication between the chambers in one movement of the piston and close in the other.

3. In a force pump, the combination of a cylinder, a'casing having chambers in com munication with each end otthe cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a small. passage between said chambers adapted to permit the passage of only a small amount of water, and an air inlet passage leading to one of said chambers.

4:. In a force pump, the combination of a casing having a cylinder therein, and suction. chambers in open communication with the cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, inlet anddischarge valves for the suction chambers, an air inlet passage to one chamber, means for opening communication between the suction chambers on the movement of the piston awayfrom said air inlet and closing the same on the return movement, and a check valve in said air passage.

5. In a force pump, the combination 01": a cylinder, a casinghaving chambers in communication with each end of the cylinder, an air inlet to one of said chambers, a piston reciprocating in said cylinder, a passage between said chambers adapted to permit the escape of an appreciable amount of air ton acting as a valve in said passage closing during the movement of the piston toward said air inlet.

6. In a force pump, the combination of a casing having a cylinder therein and combined suction and force chambers in open communication with each end of the cylinder and larger than the cylinder, reciprocating means within the cylinder adapted to draw water into and expel it from said chambers in cooperation with inlet and discharge valves in said chambers, an air inlet to one of said chambers, a passage connecting the chambers, and means adapted to freely open said passage in one movement of said reciprocating means and close the same in the other.

7. In a force pump, the combination of a cylinder, a casing having chambers in communication with each end of the cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a small passage around said piston adapted to permit the passage of only a small amount of water, and an air passage leading to one of said chambers.

8. In a force pump, the combination of a casing having a cylinder therein and suction chambers in open communication with the cylinder, reciprocating means within the cylinder adapted to draw water into and expel it from said chambers in coopen tion with inlet and discharge valves in said chambers, a passage between said chambers, means adapted to close said passage on the movement of said reciprocating means toward one chamber, an air inlet passage leading to said chamber, and a check valve in said passage.

9. In a pump, the combination of a casing, a cylinder therein, chambers in commuadapted to draw water into and expel it from the chambers in cooperation with inlet and discharge valves in said chambers, a passage between said chambers, means adapted to close said passage on the move ment of said reciprocating means toward one chamber, an air inlet passage leading to said chamber, a check-valve and an adjustable valve in said passage.

11. A force pump having a cylinder and a piston therein and adapted to present water to each side or the piston, a suction chamber in communication with the piston at one side thereof having inlet and discharge valves, a port around the piston, said piston acting as a valve for closing said port when the piston is moving toward the chamber, and means for admitting a small amount of air into the chamber upon the suction movement of the piston.

12. In force pump, the combination of a cylinder, a chamber in communication therewith, a valved inlet and a valved outlet for said chamber, an air inlet passageway to said chamber, a piston in said cylinder, a passage around said piston, said piston acting as a valve for closing said passage during the movement of the piston toward said chamber.

13. The combination of a cylinder, a chamber in communication therewith, a valved inlet to said chamber, a valved out-- let from said chamber, a piston in said cylinder having a passage around it, an inclependent air passage to said chamber, and a check valve in said air passage.

14. The combination of a cylinder, chambers respectively in communication with the opposite ends of the cylinder, said chambers having inlet and outlet valves, a piston reciprocating in said cylinder, a passage between said chambers, an air inlet into one of said chambers, and a check-valve in the inlet passageway.

15. The combination of a cylinder, chambers in communication with the opposite ends of the cylinder, a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, means cooperating with said piston for opening communication between said chambers on one movement of said piston and closing it in the other, an air inlet passageway independent of the piston to one chamber, and a check-valve in the inlet passageway.

RALPH B. CARTER. 

